UNIVERSITY tuition fees in England are set to rise for the first time in eight years in a move which has been blasted by Scotland's Education Secretary.
UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced in the Commons maximum tuition fees will rise to £9535 from April next year. They are currently capped at £9250.
She said this “won’t cost students more each month”.
There is set to be an increase to maintenance loans in line with inflation to help with living costs - an increase of £414 per year in 2025/26.
The move will likely be met with a strong backlash as Prime Minister Keir Starmer had pledged to abolish tuition fees when he stood to be Labour leader back in 2020.
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He rowed back on that promise early last year, saying it was no longer affordable because of the "different financial situation" the country was in, and he was choosing to prioritise the NHS.
It comes as university leaders have warned of significant financial concerns as a result of frozen tuition fees paid by domestic students and a drop in international students.
Scotland’s Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth (below) criticised the move and insisted education should not be based on the ability to pay.
On Twitter/X she posted: “Education should be based on the ability to learn, not on the ability to pay.
MP Zarah Sultana, who was suspended by Labour earlier this year after voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, said the decision was "wrong".
"Students shouldn’t have to pay tuition this year, or any year," she posted on Twitter/X.
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"It’s time to abolish tuition fees and cancel student debt because education is a public good, not a commodity."
Phillipson’s statement is expected around 4.15pm.
Westminster sets fees for England but in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland they are fixed by the devolved governments.
Tuition is free at Scotland’s universities for Scottish-domiciled students but is capped at £9250 for other UK students.
Tuition fees for home students have been capped at £9250 in England since 2017.
But Universities UK, which represents more than 140 institutions, said in September that an increase in tuition fees and direct government funding was needed in England.
It worked up a proposal for a fee rise linked to inflation and more government investment to ensure the sector “does not slide into decline”.
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